Chasm
by StarTraveler
Summary: The gulf between them is so wide. Raphael's thoughts while confronting Simon.


Disclaimer: Only the fic is mine.

AN: So thrilled to see Raphael in the episode but the confrontation with Simon made me ready to cry. Also Raphael speaking Spanish, I was nearly squealing. Unbeated.

****  
It had been four nights since he had seen the fledgling since he had betrayed Raphael... the whole clan for those troublesome Shadowhunters.

Raphael had refused to think of his name seeking refuge in the anger and betrayal churning inside him.

But Raphael now had no choice but to find him sooner than he'd felt like, that Clave representative Albertree believed all vampires were out to kill mundanes after a rogue den of vampires had been wiped out.

And that idiot fledgling had helped make Albertree even more determined to make trouble for the clan.

Camille needed to be found and brought before the Clave and Simon was the key to finding her.

It hadn't been hard to find him, he knew Simon would be at the institute until he was no more use to the Clave representatives and then go stay with the werewolf that was a friend of his.

He hid in one of the buildings that had Simon's scent the strongest and watched as he was confronted by the four wolves.

Dios, that fledgling was pathetic, he hadn't listened to anything Raphael had tried to teach him.

Soon Simon entered and closed the door and Raphael made his appearance known.

Simon jumped, his face and eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

At one time Raphael would've secretly been amused, mentally rolling his eyes.

Now he felt scorn.

 _Do not soften, look at where that got you._

"Raphael! Amigo," Simon tried to sound cheery but his fear was palpable. Raphael felt pleased.

"Albertree now believes all of us vampires were responsible for that vampire den."

"Only Maria was..." Simon replied quickly.

"Maria was turned by us, genius," Raphael spat out, his disgust not even remotely hidden.

Simon was backed into a wall and realized how his words no doubt made Albertree suspect all vampires.

Raphael then told him the punishment for vampires executed by the Clave, one body part burned one at a time by the sun.

Raphael took pleasure in how freaked Simon looked, at all the images no doubt flooding in his mind.

"You need to find Camille," Raphael told him.

"How?" Simon asked.

"Use your bond and figure it out, or die trying."

The words hung in the air between them as Simon looked stunned, Raphael looking hard and immovable.

****  
Raphael then left the storage unit and went into the night.

 _Foolish Fledgling has no idea what he's truly up against._

 _He deserves what he gets._

 _I should've hid him after I found him dying at Camille's feet and let him die a true human death._

All the thoughts swirled through Raphael's head.

 _You saved him because Camille was leading the clan to ruin, you wanted to spare him all the suffering possible._

Did he truly want Simon destroyed?

Raphael hated how dark and lonely the night felt, it had been so long since he had felt bothered by it.

He stopped at the river and looked at the brightly lit city.

He took out his phone and dialed without thinking about.

"You reached Magnus, you know what to do next."

"Magnus, it's Raphael, I sent Simon on a mission to find Camille using the sire bond, he'll likely eventually contact you so be prepared."

He quickly put away his phone.

Weeks ago he'd been second in command fine with the responsibilities he had, everything had been predictable, and no complicated feelings.

Then one mission to grab a human had changed that.

Enough! He shook himself out of it, he had a clan to run and prepare for the war that would soon come to them.

Any soft feelings left for Simon needed to be kept hidden.

Feelings were the one thing that could weaken and get a vampire destroyed.

Besides it was obvious Simon felt no true remorse for betraying them, Raphael would think only what was best for the clan from now on.

And he quickly went back to the Dumort to wait for whatever happened next.

***  
AN2: My muse wasn't playing nice and gave me trouble with this but I think it turned out all right, I was close to crying while writing this.


End file.
